TAXI # Y061002MR

[timejunkie]

Melodic, catchy MODERN ROCK/POP SONGS a la Green Day, the Foo Fighters, Gwen Stefani, the Killers, Kelly ClarksonWhat on earth does Green Day have in common with Kelly Clarkson and Gwen Stefani...am I the only one not getting this?That's a pretty broad range to ask for...may as well put on a blind fold click on any one of your songs and send it in. Chip

[matto]

Sorry for the smart ass comment but...it says it right there in the listing what they have in common: "melodic, catchy, MODERN".Even though it wasn't meant that way the fact that "modern" is capitalized actually may be helpful. These artists are all being played on some of the same radio stations (CHR stations mostly), and basically this listing is looking for material that would fit on those same radio stations. Yes it is a broad range, but it still excludes anything that's not melodic, catchy or Modern Rock/Modern Pop. Which is a lot, when you think about it... matto

[timejunkie]

Matto.....no offence but I beg to differ on a couple of their examples. It is still pretty broad for a Taxi member to figure out what might fit. Foo Fighters and Green Day could easily be rejcted as sounding dated not modern.Chip

[matto]

Quote:Matto.....no offence but I beg to differ on a couple of their examples. It is still pretty broad for a Taxi member to figure out what might fit. Foo Fighters and Green Day could easily be rejcted as sounding dated not modern.I don't understand the "disagree" comment . The company looking for music mentions these artists as "what they are looking for". You disagree with what they are looking for? Or with their overly broad tastes?Look I agree it's pretty broad and it can be tough to figure out EXACTLY what they want. But, this is a general rule every time you submit music anywhere. When I'm asked to write pieces for just about anybody I work with, the descriptions are usually vague and not particularly helpful, and it tends to be extremely difficult to get accurate information out of them. So you learn how to interpret what they mean, cause complaining to them about being vague isn't gonna do you any good.Thus you take your chances...might as well get used to it now... matto

[andreh]

Quote:When I'm asked to write pieces for just about anybody I work with, the descriptions are usually vague and not particularly helpful, and it tends to be extremely difficult to get accurate information out of them. So you learn how to interpret what they mean, cause complaining to them about being vague isn't gonna do you any good.Thus you take your chances...might as well get used to it now... mattoI've been a bit frustrated by this in the past as well...but it remains the norm. You'd think that a client would want to be as specific as possible when making a request; they're clearly concerned about being inundated with hundreds or thousands of examples of irrelevant music.I guess they do like to have some variety, though, or they'd at least list specific songs by reference artists more often. The upside is that for every song we write that's not exactly on the mark, it's one more in the bank that we can pull out of our magic hats for another request (not to mention we're building our skills in the process).When I'm working directly with a client and there are no other composers submitting tracks for the same job (in other words, I'm doing contract work), I'm able to get much more detail from them...so it depends on the kind of job you're involved with.Andre

[davewalton]

Quote:I've been a bit frustrated by this in the past as well...but it remains the norm. You'd think that a client would want to be as specific as possible when making a request; they're clearly concerned about being inundated with hundreds or thousands of examples of irrelevant music.I guess they do like to have some variety, though, or they'd at least list specific songs by reference artists more often. The upside is that for every song we write that's not exactly on the mark, it's one more in the bank that we can pull out of our magic hats for another request (not to mention we're building our skills in the process).When I'm working directly with a client and there are no other composers submitting tracks for the same job (in other words, I'm doing contract work), I'm able to get much more detail from them...so it depends on the kind of job you're involved with.I agree it's not a "Taxi thing" exclusively. I've also been flabbergasted by the lack of specifics in many facets of this industry. These listings (the wording, the generalities, etc) are VERY much like the real world. Andre's right. Writing music is never a waste of time. I've written LOTS of stuff as demos for film scores that never worked out. I've also written a fair amount of stuff for Taxi that didn't work out either. It's all good to use for future projects. Dave

[Casey H]

I once worked with a publisher who could never describe what he wanted... It was "I know it when I hear it". Of course, that's not the situation here... Was the listing for film/TV or a music library (as opposed to for an artist)? Often they will look for a wider variety as long as it's youthful and modern enough for the demographics they are targeting.The way I see it is if you have something stylistically along the lines of the acts they mentioned, you should submit. Or... if relatively close, you might take a shot for $5. But if not either of the above, don't waste your money. Casey

[h2000]

Quote:The upside is that for every song we write that's not exactly on the mark, it's one more in the bank that we can pull out of our magic hats for another request (not to mention we're building our skills in the process).Quote: Writing music is never a waste of time. I've written LOTS of stuff as demos for film scores that never worked out. I've also written a fair amount of stuff for Taxi that didn't work out either. It's all good to use for future projects. DaveThis is a great way of thinking about this. I have the same thoughts. I have always written for myself (and cowriters) first. But, when you focus yourself on certain listings or certain targets that appeal to you, you are actually developing yourself and your marketablity. Regardless of if the particular submission is accepted or not, the time spent is never wasted.

[timejunkie]

Come on guys I think Taxi is cool to but at $5.00 a submission lets be a little more specific... This appears to me not to be a request for a single type of song for a specific use... but more of a fishing expedition. I could submit one of my songs under the request in this listing for "Foo Fighters" and get rejected because it's not enough like Gwen Stefani and Kelly Clarkson. It leaves it pretty open....I know this is what the customer is "asking for" but that's a pretty broad range to expect someone to part with their hard earned cash for...just my opinion.

[Casey H]

Quote:Come on guys I think Taxi is cool to but at $5.00 a submission lets be a little more specific... This appears to me not to be a request for a single type of song for a specific use... but more of a fishing expedition. I could submit one of my songs under the request in this listing for "Foo Fighters" and get rejected because it's not enough like Gwen Stefani and Kelly Clarkson. It leaves it pretty open....I know this is what the customer is "asking for" but that's a pretty broad range to expect someone to part with their hard earned cash for...just my opinion. I know how frustrating these vague descriptions can be. But realize that it is often not TAXI that is vague, it's the party doing the listing. I do some work as a publisher/placement agent myself and right now I am dealing with a lead that wants: "Acoustic indie rock, male or female vocals. Not too fast, not too slow. Something in between Group X and Group Y"Now, first most indie rock I hear is not acoustic. Yes, there is some but I usually don't think of acoustic as indie rock. AND I sampled songs on amazon.com for the 2 acts mentioned and nothing I heard was acoustic. If TAXI ran this listing, you might be mad at them. But this is coming directly from a music supervisor.It's all part of the biz... Casey